


Business Arrangement

by Li_no



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Character Study, First Kiss, Fluff, Iori centric, Late Night Conversations, M/M, and trying to ignore them, as everything i make, as iori does, i procrastinated for a solid month to write this, iori Having Feelings, pretty awkward first kiss because they are clowns, riku is pretty reasonable here i even think i gave him too much credit, this is cheesy as all hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:07:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25621087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Li_no/pseuds/Li_no
Summary: "Iori liked to think he understood Riku’s good points better than anyone: his charming smile, his singing voice and, most of all, Riku was like a current of energy that made everyone feel good about themselves. Riku’s smiles always made Iori feel lighter, or he was energized by the small touches they shared (their arms brushing when they sat too close on the couch, Riku’s arm slung around Iori’s shoulder). When Riku placed the palm of his right hand on the space between them on the couch, Iori would inadvertently glance at it, wondering how it would feel like to place his hand on top of Riku’s, if he would feel the same current of energy if they intertwined their fingers."Or, a possible scene of their drama is troubling to both of them, and it makes Iori and Riku have a talk about their relationship. Which ends in kissing.
Relationships: Izumi Iori/Nanase Riku
Comments: 14
Kudos: 68





	Business Arrangement

When all the IDOLiSH7 members gathered, it was much like the hustle and bustle of a festival inside their living room. By the time Iori had just moved to the dorms, he had a habit of staying inside his room. However, as if taunting him, the noise always reached Iori’s ears. It was very hard to ignore Nagi’s squeals of excitement as he talked about the newest episodes of _Magical Kokona,_ or Mitsuki’s vibrant way of storytelling that managed to make any mundane outing seem like something out of a movie. As the background noises for the two colorful voices, Iori would also hear mysterious grunts and _thuds_ that sounded a lot like a wild animal.

Some time later, Iori would always hear a knock on his door. The moment he opened it, Riku would already be pulling Iori by the arm all the way to the living room. Iori protested, but always ended up giving in when faced with the strength of Riku’s wishes, and just sighed. Eventually, Iori settled for a routine in which he spent most of his time together with everyone else.

Now, he no longer only heard Nagi’s engaged discussion about Kokona, but caught sight of Sougo, who looked gently at Nagi, clearly not fully understanding what he was talking about, but making sure to smile and listen attentively to not hinder his excitement. Iori observed the two of them gently. Sougo’s kindness was one of his best qualities, so Iori didn’t doubt that he felt happy just by listening to Nagi talk.

Iori had also found an answer to the grunts and mysterious wildlike noises, who belonged to no other than Tamaki. He would never stay still even as he played games, an activity Iori was sure people were perfectly capable of executing without jumping up and down or making such over the top noises. Each time Iori would very _kindly_ point this out, Tamaki would call him annoying and not hear a word. Iori hoped his game console would explode in a billion little pieces. 

As Mitsuki told his stories about what that rowdy staff member did when they went drinking, or the absurd thing Momo-san said to the director, Iori would pay a great deal of attention to each word, although he’d pretend he was doing something else. Out of the blue, loud snores would interrupt Mitsuki’s storytelling, stunning everyone into silence, then making everyone in the room burst into laughter by looking at Yamato, very comfortably sprawled out and napping at the far end of the couch, three to five empty cans of beer beside him.

These were moments Iori cherished and kept very close to his heart, although he did not have the courage or maturity to say such a thing aloud. Each of the members’s vibrant and unique personalities gave Iori a sense of belonging he never came to experience in his life before then. And among them, was someone that made Iori feel differently than anyone else.

Iori didn’t understand how Riku managed to read so comfortably with so much noise around him, but he looked satisfied. Riku always sat near Iori, which Iori found mildly puzzling, but it never bothered him. Once in a while, he would glance at Riku from the corner of his eye, so Iori often managed to see glimpses of Riku’s face while he read. Iori could tell what was happening in each book just by looking at him, whose expressions were all purely earnest: sometimes, he’d glare at the book very hard, with his eyebrows furrowed deep and looking like someone had personally wronged him. Other times, he’d bite his lower lip and the hand holding the book would tremble slightly. Iori would get mildly worried, before realizing that Riku was just trying to hold back tears. How cute, Iori would think, covering his face with his hand to hide his smile.

Iori attributed the amount of attention he paid Riku merely to his management role. Since he secretly acted as Riku’s manager first and foremost, it was vital to understand his good points to be able to properly sell him to the public, and Iori liked to think he understood Riku’s good points better than anyone: his charming smile, his singing voice and, most of all, Riku was like a current of energy that made everyone feel good about themselves. Riku’s smiles always made Iori feel lighter, or he was energized by the small touches they shared (their arms brushing when they sat too close on the couch, Riku’s arm slung around Iori’s shoulder).

This certainly was something Iori himself did not realize, or just shoved to the far back of his mind, but he was often pulled in by Riku’s magnetism. When Riku placed the palm of his right hand on the space between them on the couch, Iori would inadvertently glance at it, wondering how it would feel like to place his hand on top of Riku’s, if he would feel the same current of energy if they intertwined their fingers. Iori was at a loss, so he did not think about it. 

The entertainment industry was unforgiving, even moreso for idols. The smallest scandal could destroy everything he’d built alongside everyone else and, strictly from a business perspective, Iori wasn’t a person to take any risks. So he kept his distance. He had his plans, and he liked them, anything outside of it was only background noise. From a business perspective.

That’s why, at the moment, Iori was quite frustrated. The sun was not up in the sky, and the dorm was not lively like he was used to. Despite the fact that all the other lights in the dorm were off, including the lights of all the members’s rooms, the living room’s stayed on. Iori and Riku were sitting on the couch, at a considerable distance from each other. There was no hint of Mitsuki’s stories or Yamato’s snores, but quite the overbearing silence. Iori’s grip on the handle of the mug he was holding was perhaps a little too tight, and he stared at the hot milk with honey Riku had prepared him with great interest, if only to avoid meeting Riku’s eyes.

Iori could feel Riku’s gaze on him. Then, Riku laughed, it came out a bit stranded, as if it was stuck on his throat. If it was to break the silence, Iori did not know if he welcome the gesture. “So… Iori!” Riku spouted out, “How are things?”

Even though Riku had been the one to ask Iori to talk to him, he couldn’t even get to the point himself. Iori let out a long sigh, and drank a bit of the milk as if to calm his nerves before responding, “Nanase-san, you called me here for a reason, didn’t you? Since you have a tendency to derail, being already this late at night, I can’t indulge you. If you’d please get to the point.”

Riku frowned and opened his mouth to retort, as he usually would, but all the words seemed to have died down. He stared straight at Iori and shifted a little bit closer to him on the couch, but the distance still remained. “You’ve been avoiding me all day! What’s up with that?!”

Still intent on avoiding Riku’s eyes, Iori’s grip on the mug tightened. His expression remained calm. “I haven’t been avoiding you. You’re just imagining things.” 

“Iori! Don’t lie!” Riku stood up from the couch in a rush. “You’re not even looking at me right now! And why did you sit at the far end of the couch?! You’re not even hiding it!” Then, Riku stopped frowning, but he looked troubled and apprehensive. In a much lower tone of voice, he asked, “...Is it about that scene we’ll have to film for our drama?”

Iori felt a whole lot of mixed feelings welling up inside him. “Watch your voice. Do you plan on becoming everyone’s alarms? It’s almost two in the morning.” Iori responded matter-of-factly.

Riku widened his eyes in surprise and covered his mouth with both his hands. “Sorry. I didn’t notice.” Flopping back on the couch, Riku looked dejected, but realization soon hit him. He pouted at Iori. “You didn’t answer my question!”

“Right. If you came here to have a shouting match, then it would just be less bothersome if we went to sleep then, don’t you think?” 

Hurriedly placing his mug on the small table near the couch, Iori got up as if to flee. Riku quickly grabbed Iori’s wrist. “The scene _is_ bothering you, isn’t it?” Seeing how Iori didn’t even flinch or look at him, Riku looked downwards, frowning slightly. “If the idea disgusts you this much, we could just talk with Manager about it. You don’t need to avoid me.”

Then, upon hearing this, Iori turned his head and properly looked at Riku for the first time in that whole night. He stared at Riku, bewildered, and absolutely having no idea what was even happening. “What?” he blurted out.

Surprised, Riku let go of Iori’s wrist in a hurry, clearly blushing. “You know what I mean! The _k-kissing_ stuff! We heard Banri-san and Manager talk about it this morning!” He looked bashful, fiddling with his fingers. “It’s fine if you don’t want to do it, Iori. This would be your first kiss, right? You’re still in high school, even! I bet you even have a boy you like in your class that you’d prefer to share this moment with. I understand, really! But you shouldn’t avoid me over it—” 

_What._

A lot of things went through Iori’s mind at once. Iori wanted to scream. Maybe he was screaming, internally, as he preferred. He did not understand this situation he was put in against his will, and concluded that this was an unexpected and undesired outcome. Riku continued to ramble on, but Iori had stopped processing words halfway through it. 

“Nanase-san,” Iori said, as calmly as he could.

Riku jumped in surprise. “Yes?!” 

Iori slowly sat back down on the couch, this time, considerably closer to Riku. “You thought I was avoiding you,” He paused. “because the thought of having to kiss you for our drama,” He paused once again. “grosses me out?”

Riku furrowed his eyebrows and glared at Iori. “Yeah! What else could it be?!”

Iori put a hand to his chin. This was odd, Iori thought. He felt rather strange, maybe a bit unsettled. Iori was very good at analyzing things, observing his environment or the people around him, and crafting hypotheses based on what he understood. He’d always thoroughly anticipate what would become a trend in the near future, and inform Tsumugi to take full advantage of these new waves, garnering more interest towards IDOLiSH7. Iori trusted his assumptions pretty much, and acted in accordance to them. Right now, he could feel himself about to break into cold sweat.

“Iori?” Riku waved his hand in front of Iori’s face. “Are you mad?” He said, more like a very shaken whisper than an outright statement.

“Ah,” Iori blinked in surprise. “No. I’m not mad…”

“You suddenly went silent, so I got worried.” He let out a relieved sigh. “As I said, you just have to tell me and we’ll manage to get the scene altered!” Riku smiled, but Iori didn’t miss how he looked hurt, and his smile, insincere. Iori felt his heart sink. That kind of expression didn’t belong on Riku’s face. Nanase-san’s smiles were honest, pure, and as bright as the sun.

Iori was confused, he did not avoid Riku to make Riku sad or self-conscious, but to make him more comfortable. Iori coughed, the type of pretend cough he did when he had no idea what to say. “I don’t have any personal problems with,” He put his hand on his face, in an attempt to cover how his cheeks heat up. “with kissing you to film the scene, Nanase-san.”

“Really?” Elated, Riku smiled from ear to ear. “I’m happy you trust me, though.”

”However,” Iori continued, “We shouldn’t prioritize how we feel over more pressing matters.”

Riku frowned. “What do you mean?”

Iori hesitated before speaking. During variety programs, Iori would research about the topics and the people attending beforehand, and he would formulate comprehensible responses based off that. But Iori hadn’t planned any of this, so how could he arrange these feelings in an easy to understand way? In moments like these, Iori thought of his brother, who would certainly have the best responses ready at the tip of his tongue, and to who ad libbing came as second nature. Iori could not do things the way Mitsuki does, so he did not improvise, nor took any risks to talk about what he did not know.

“It’s a complicated situation for us, is what I mean,” He cleared his throat. “The drama is important for our careers, but we shouldn’t neglect our image as idols. A kiss between us is unacceptable. I was only deep in thought about how we should proceed from here, I wasn’t avoiding you.”

Riku’s frown deepened. “So, If you and I were very against the idea, and it ended up being bad for our friendship, but good reputation for IDOLiSH7, you’re saying you’d be completely unaffected? Or that we should straight up ignore our problems?” Riku asked, feeling frustration well up inside him.

“We have a responsibility,” Iori started, “Having to shove our feelings aside is many times necessary to—” 

“I don’t want to know about any of this, Iori.” Riku cut him off. His voice was firm and determined as well as the look on his eyes as he faced Iori. “You’re always talking like this— Business this, image that,” He crossed his arms and titled his head. “I know you’re intent on believing otherwise, but I am a professional, too. I’m aware of these things. What I want to know is how _you_ feel, not what our responsibilities are. This is _our_ relationship.”

Iori felt his body stiffen up and his pulse quicken, but he showed nothing on his face. “I’m just talking about what is most necessary. I’m not bothered by anything else.”

Feeling exhausted, Riku’s back hit the back of the couch, and he allowed his head to rest over the edge of it. Riku inhaled, then exhaled. Looking up towards the ceiling, he said, “I know that’s not true. I took a while to realize this, but you’re always looking out for me. You’re awkward and stiff, but you’d never do anything to hurt me.” He shifted positions, looking once again to Iori. “I know I’m not very reliable, and I’m always making you worry and causing you trouble, but—”

“That’s true. You often break bottles and plates when I’m not nearby to stop it, too.” Iori deadpanned.

“Let me finish!” Riku hit Iori’s arm lightly with his elbow. “But! What I was saying is— You’re always helping me out, Iori, so when you’re sad, I want to help you too. That’s why, I want you to be open with me.” Riku smiled at him. Brightly, and in the most Nanase-san way Iori could think of. Iori felt a smile tugging at his lips and warmth spread throughout his body. Riku’s smiles had always been infectious. 

Defeated, Iori slumped his shoulders, effectively ruining his perfect posture, and let out a sigh. “I thought you’d want some time away from me, after hearing about it.”

Riku cocked his head to the side. “Why?”

Iori bit his lower lip. He did not know if he felt nervous, exposed, or was just fretting over saying the wrong thing. “I, um, _cough.”_ He let out another one of his pretend coughs, to which Riku just smiled patiently. “I felt… similar to you. I felt guilty for making your first kiss be with me, considering I’m likely the last person you’d like to share it with.” Iori hang his head in shame.

 _Huh?_ Riku blinked once, twice. Then, his jaw dropped as he looked at Iori in disbelief. “Iori? What even??”

Iori’s eyebrow twitched, and he felt annoyance as well as mortifying embarrassment bubbling up from inside him. The lack of delicacy! “Don’t give me that look! I’m being honest! That’s what you wanted!!” He felt his cheeks burning, and sharply turned his head to the opposite direction.

“I believe you! I do! Don’t get mad!!” Riku frantically tugged at the sleeve of Iori’s shirt. “It’s just, weird, because! Why would you think I’d be so against it that I’d want space?!”

Iori hesitated. He had never been— good, at this kind of talk. He thought back on his groupmates. He didn’t know how to raise everyone’s spirits like Nagi with his excitement, or with pure skill like Mitsuki. He did not have Sougo’s gentleness and tact, nor Yamato’s silent reassurance and relaxed atmosphere, much less Tamaki’s passion. Iori didn't think he was untalented or unneeded, far from it, he knew his skills had helped them plenty, and there was nothing Iori couldn’t excel at with little effort. His opinion of himself was closer to—

“Nanase-san,” Iori started, “I’m pretty boring and plain, aren’t I? And it's not like you have tons of fun when you're with me.” Iori let out a dry chuckle, placing the palm of his left hand on the space between them.

Immediately upon hearing Iori’s words, Riku’s expression grew sad. Iori felt his heart clench at the sight. “What are you saying? There is nothing boring about you. Sure, you can be a bit of a stick in the mud sometimes, but you’re special to all of us. I really treasure the time we spend together!”

Iori smiled, he was grateful for Riku’s words, but as he looked at Riku’s downtrodden expression, which effortlessly made Iori want to mirror it, he was reminded of Riku’s biggest strength: Riku could easily move the hearts of others. When Riku smiled happily, he casted a spell on those near him. Riku inspired all kinds of emotions in others, and they were pulled into his orbit in return. Iori did not have this kind of effect in others. Rather, he struggled with what feelings he’d wanted to convey, and did not have any uniqueness that he could call his own. 

At this point, Iori just felt weary. “Thank you, Nanase-san. Now, since this talk is over, shall we go back to our rooms?” 

Riku didn’t look satisfied. “Can’t we talk a bit more?”

“We have the next two days off, so I’ll make an exception just this once,” Iori arched an eyebrow and decided to grab once again the mug containing the hot milk. “But what do you want to discuss? I’d hope we cleared up everything by now.” He brought the rim of the cup to his lips, drinking a bit of the milk.

“Actually, I have a suggestion,” Riku shyly rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks flushed. Iori furrowed his eyebrows. “Why don’t we kiss?” Riku said.

Iori choked on the milk and started coughing. _“Excuse me?! Nanase-san?!”_

Probably being the most embarrassed he’s ever been in his entire life, his cheeks heat up. Iori was about to start lecturing Riku about work, and how relationships between coworkers were not professional, and how it could sink their careers, and how it was absolutely absurd and dangerous to even entertain—

Defensively, Riku started waving his hands in front of Iori. “Wait, wait! It’s not like that, I swear!” He exclaimed, just as embarrassed as Iori was, “It’s just- I was thinking, if we have to kiss for our drama anyway, why don’t we practice beforehand? Practice makes perfect, they say!” He laughed, a little desperately.

Iori felt his eyebrows twitch. He briefly considered the ethics of kissing the main product he was supposed to be managing, and fell into silence, putting his hand on his chin. Objectivity was needed when considering how to best handle Riku’s image, but, of course, to properly sell him, he needed a good grasp of Riku’s charms, nevertheless. A better grasp than anyone else. Then, he thoroughly considered how charming Riku’s smile was during concerts, how he’d glow with excitement that could sweep away the worries of anyone. How Riku’s singing could be so gentle that it made flowers bloom, but could also become as powerful as being able to make meteors fall from the sky.

Iori stared pointedly at Riku and squinted his eyes.

“I-Iori?!” Riku sputtered, “Are you mad? You know, you don’t need to if you don’t want to, It was just a suggestion...”

“I think,” Iori cleared his throat. “T-This could be an interesting business arrangement for both of us...” The pink on his cheeks and the shaky words betrayed the posture Iori tried so hard to maintain.

“B-Business arrangement?!” Riku blurted out, stumbling over the words.

“Yes. So we can do our best at our drama,” _and so I can get to know more about you,_ since Iori did not measure efforts when it came to his management work. 

“I, I see!” Riku exclaimed, “So, um, should we, shake hands? To seal the deal, I mean.”

Iori nodded, then extended his hand to Riku. Iori was stiff as a board, he was unsure if he was succeeding at appearing unfazed. “Nanase-san, good... work, today.” Iori said, stilted. 

After eyeing Iori’s hand for some whole seconds, Riku grabbed it, just as stiff. “Yeah, good work, Iori!” The handshake felt almost robotic, with large pauses and stunted movements.

After the handshake, the both of them stood completely still, only staring at each other. Without a word. None at all. Barely blinking, Riku had a determined look on his face, as if he was about to go to war, which Iori found adorable, but did not make any comment. Iori maybe wanted to die. Was this becoming some kind of staring contest? He did not know, but he didn’t blink, either. Iori could feel his sanity slipping away the more the seconds went by. 

“I,” Riku was the one who broke the silence. “I think we should maybe get closer? I was waiting for you to, but you’re not moving at all, Iori...”

 _“Cough_ … I was,” Iori paused. “waiting for you. Besides, why am I the one who has to make all the advances...”

Riku looked slightly panicked, then laughed awkwardly. “I guess that was strange, huh! And I’m even older than you, so you’re right I should be the one starting it!”

Iori wanted to retort, _you’re the one who’s always acting like you’re younger than me,_ but due to the compromising situation they had already found themselves in, he did not say a word. 

They slowly shifted positions to be as closest to each other as it was manageable. Iori felt like he had no idea where to put his hands, or if it was even _appropriate_ to put them _anywhere,_ so he left his left hand firmly planted on the couch, as it was before. His right, however, awkwardly hovered over Riku’s back, and he had long since gave up on actually placing it there. He could feel the ghost of a touch from Riku’s left hand, flailing near his neck, but not touching it. Iori chose to not question it.

Reluctantly, as they drew closer to each other, with both shifting their faces closer and closer, Iori could already feel Riku’s warm breath tickling against his skin, which made his brain promptly shut down. There was no management work in his mind, nor any drama scenes whatsoever, but in exchange, he had become acutely aware of the scent of Riku’s cologne. He tapped his feet on the ground impatiently.

When he was able to feel the press of Riku’s lips against his, he also finally felt the touch of Riku’s hand against the back of his neck, or the soft fabric of Riku’s shirt as his right hand made contact with Riku’s back. It was an understatement to say they did not quite know what they were doing. Riku tilted his head to the side, which Iori mimicked, he supposed he often saw this in movies. It certainly felt more comfortable, he supposed. Maybe he felt things better, he supposed. Iori did not like the amount of supposing he was doing, when he was always famed for always having things under control, and very much liked it. Preferred it.

The kisses were just a peck on the lips, quick and sweet, but they were disconcerting for Iori, moreso than any other situation he’s ever been in. Iori could ace any exam, predict trends or job offers perfectly, he could make detailed analyses of anything, but he had no idea how to best optimize a kiss, since he did not expect he’d ever be kissing anyone. When he felt the gentle press of Riku’s hand on top of his, and the warmth he felt when Riku intertwined their fingers, for a moment, Iori thought he did not know anything at all.

When they moved their faces away, none of them dared to unlink their hands.

Flustered beyond belief, Iori cast his eyes downwards. The hand which Iori had previously placed against Riku’s back was now gripping at the fabric of his own pants. He could feel his heart beating loudly in his ribcage.

Daring to take a look at Riku, he lifted his face. When he saw Riku’s impossibly flushed face, with his other hand placed on his chest and curled against the fabric of his shirt as if trying to assuage his heartbeats, Iori felt content, and a thought that had not crossed his mind before that moment dared show: Maybe Riku liked Iori as much as Iori liked him.

The moment Riku, too, lifted his face and locked eyes with Iori, the two smiled, flustered.

Considering the dangers of filming such a scandalous scene, Iori was certain that neither him nor Riku — if he truly had the sense of professionalism he claimed to have beforehand — would allow such a thing to air. The next morning, surely, they’d walk into Takanashi Productions and protest.

But now, however, they repeated, completely in sync:

“I might need some more practice.”

* * *

The next day, they had ambushed Tsumugi first thing in the morning.

“Manager, please refrain from accepting anything that could infuriate our fans.” Iori said.

“Yeah! Even I don’t think that scene for our drama is a good idea…” Riku reinforced.

Tsumugi blinked, feeling confused. “Huh? What drama scene? Has something happened?”

Just as confused, Iori and Riku looked to each other, then looked at Tsumugi once again. Iori spoke, “Yesterday, hadn’t you and Ogami-san discussed about an offer the director made for our drama which involved kissing?”

Tsumugi’s eyes widened. “You boys heard that?!”

“We didn’t mean to eavesdrop or anything, but we ended up hearing, I’m sorry…” Riku paused. “...Manager? Are you okay? You look pale.”

“T-That was nothing of importance! We’d never accept such an outrageous proposition! It was a joke from the director!” She bowed over and over again, apologizing profusely more times than Iori could count. “I’m sorry! It must have stressed you two! I hope nothing bad happened!”

Iori and Riku both were stunned into silence. They both opened their mouths to speak, but closed it soon after.

Then, they looked at each other. Already feeling a smile tugging at their lips, they burst into laughter.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading i hope you enjoyed it!! talk to me about ioriku on twitter dot cum or about iori's gay ass which is stressing me out for 1 month now and im losing it. im entertaining sometimes i swear @heartfvlcry


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